Fatal Attraction
by Little Razorblade
Summary: Tatsuha's got a crush, something stronger than he's ever felt before, even worse than his obsession of Ryuichi. The problem is, his fascination is his brother, and that attraction may just be turning into love . . .
1. Chapter 1

Tatsuha lay awake listening as the rain slid against the glass of his open window, a slow cool breeze drifting through to ignite the room in a pleasant fragrance of cold. Even so, he could feel himself sweating, the taste of the salty fluid running into his mouth and over the thick leathery stiffness of his arid tongue. He had just had a dream again, and it had been one of _those_ dreams, where he woke up gasping and panting to find his shorts soaked in his own white essence.

Sitting up, he swung his legs round to touch the momentarily icy floor. He forced himself to his feet and held his head in his hands, shaking his head in silent despair as he noted whom exactly had been the object of his dreams. It wasn't the first time either.

He crossed the darkened bedroom that was silent in its shadowed blanket of calm, reaching the door to twist open the brass of the handle and step out into the sleeping hallway. His parents would be further off into the main bedroom, as their snores were audible over the sound of the raging storm outside. The front door shuddering made Tatsuha startle and flinch, but he knew it was only the wind battling objects in its path. Sighing, he crept his way across the carpet to where he knew the bathroom would be.

Closing the door softly behind him, Tatsuha flicked on the light and blinked several times in pain as the brightness flooded into his eyes. He rubbed the grains of sleep away slowly and breathed calmly into the heavy weighted air. Inside here, it was hot, and the sound of the radiator was buzzing monotonously in his ears. He peeled off his shorts and shoved them in the sink, pouring hot water over them to try and scrub out the impermanent stains that his body had left there.

He took the opportunity to glance down at his crotch, still throbbing and hard, stiff with the blood that had flown through it due to the ecstasy of the dream. He closed his eyes and touched himself with his index finger and the one left to it, breathing sharply and urging his erection to fade away. Calming thoughts did not work, however, and he was distracted by his face in the mirror.

Yuki, he looked so much like Yuki . . . His dark hair swallowed his tanned face as it hung like a veil across the intensity of his ebony eyes, his torso perfectly toned from his tanned hue. Why was it his brother allured him so much them if the two were almost identical? There was no point in asking - he already knew the second part to that question.

It was because Yuki was beautiful. His creamy skin was luxurious and rich in delight, so that Tatsuha had often found himself staring at his brother with incredulity. The golden eyes that would swing upon him always startled him to arouse, and the soft voice that was so reflective to his yet so different at the same time, was music to his ears and a drink to his soul. Yuki was astounding, and more than anything in the world, Tatsuha wanted him.

He quickly pulled the shorts out of the sink and rested them carefully on the radiator before taking a sponge and fresh water, mixing it with flecks of soap. He cleaned himself down, wiping away the fluid as if it had never been there. He wished he could rinse away the thoughts he had about his brother before they turned into actual _feelings_. After all, he assured himself, they were only dreams, they could do no harm to anyone.

He only hoped that it wouldn't affect the way he saw Yuki. He didn't know if he would blush or feel attraction when his brother looked at him.

Dreams, and that was how they had to stay.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: Ack!! I haven't updated this in . . . forever. Two years?? Wow, that's really lazy of me. Well, I came back to it and here's a new chapter. The chapters are going to be an attempt of short and sweet to try and lure you into reading more, hopefully. Anyway, enjoy, and please review ^^**

"What, you want breakfast? Is that it?"

"No," Tatsuha continued to stare at the empty wooden table before him. He heaved a sigh and looked away.

"Ever since you got up this morning, you've been behaving strangely. Pull yourself together, Tats-kun. We have a ceremony to attend!"

Tatsuha picked up the toast his father handed him and spread it with jam three times, like he always did. Then he took the tea bag and likewise, dunked it thrice. Not too weak, not too strong. He wasn't really in the mood for normality, not after last night. He yawned and stretched in his chair, cat-like. These dreams, no not dreams! _Nightmares_, had to stop. He pushed his back further into the chair, willing the wood to eat away his sinful skin.

"A ceremony before school? Dad, you know I despise them."

His father scowled and with a mumbled threat and disdain over laziness, he left the room. Tatsuha sat in the empty kitchen and stared at the wall, trying to think about anything but what was plaguing him. "Sodding Eiri Yuki . . ."

The morning ceremony crawled by slower than usual and Tatsuha had to grit his teeth when chanting his vows to prevent himself from saying anything that would be regarded as ill-fitting. The session concluded with his father's blessing and the attendants gathered out of the area. Tatsuha's father confronted him and rebuked him darkly about lack of concentration. Sure, he had mucked up his chanting a few times, just stumbling over words, nothing major. Why did his dad have to go and get so mad about it?

School was a slug. When it finally cut to lunchtime, Tatsuha could stand it no more. He pulled out his phone and punched in Eiri's name. The phone began to ring, and he bolted himself into one of the toilet cubicles, eager to hear that dark, smooth voice that was so familiar and lately, so erotic.

"Hello? Tatsuha?"

There was a pause. It lasted for what seemed a lifetime. Tatsuha found it difficult to breathe and regretted having called his brother. He moaned faintly into the receiver and snapped his eyes shut.

"Baka! Answer! What do you want?"

Eiri was probably sat there at his computer as usual, his fingers working frantically across the keyboard before Tatsuha had called. Yes, he could imagine it now, those strange amber eyes his brother was gifted with, the pale blonde hair falling across his brow, the frown that turned his lips downwards . . .

"Oh gods!" Tatsuha gripped the phone tighter, breathing hard.

"Tatsuha – the fucking phone! What do you want? I'm busy!"

Tatsuha hit the button to cut the call immediately. He was trembling, his whole body literally shaking as his hand returned the phone to his pocket. He couldn't do it, couldn't even talk to his brother. That velvet voice was the one he'd heard in his dreams, the one that had spoken his name when they'd –

Someone knocked heavily on the door.

"Hai! Some of us need the toilet here . ."

"Ack." Tatsuha sucked in a breath and slung his bag moodily over his shoulder. This situation was worse than he'd thought. First the dreams, now he couldn't even speak to Eiri through a simple phonecall. He was such a freak! What was he supposed to do when he saw Eiri face-to-face? He gripped his hands to fists tightly. Well then, he was just going to avoid seeing Eiri ever again if he was going to make this work.

_Yeah_, the sensible half of his mind snickered in response to this verdict. _Never see your brother in your life again. And that's going to work out __**how**_?

"Shut up, arsehole," he spoke aloud, throwing open the toilet door and coming face-to-face with the boy who had been waiting. He was about three inches taller, with a square face and eyes that were too close together. Tatsuha knew that face.

"What did you say to me?" the boy snarled roughly, his stalkers who considered themselves "body-guards" standing glowering at his flank.

"What?" Tatsuha's eyes flew wide. "I – I didn't say anything. I wasn't talking to you!"

He hated backing down to people, but this was Kenji. Tatsuha may assume himself king of the school when it came to good looks, but Kenji was the thug. And for someone who publicly resented being throned King due to his similarity to Yuki, this meant he didn't have many friends left. So there was no one to call upon to run Kenji down. The best thing to do was be polite in a situation such as this. Tatsuha's skin itched with fury as his brain swiftly translated this to _submissive_. Hell, he wasn't going to submit to this prick!

"You better not have been," Kenji warned in a low growl. His two cronies nodded in unison, flexing so that their necks cracked. Tatsuha felt a cold shiver creep up his spine. "You know what happens to people who cross us."

Tatsuha offered Kenji a simpering smile but said nothing. Instead, he sidled past, careful to not make skin contact: he'd seen Kenji in work before, the way he would use any excuse just to get some violence. The guy was a moron.

"Where are you going? I was talking to you!" Kenji boomed after him, his voice echoing up the corridor. Several students continued walking, trying to avoid trouble, but others stopped and turned towards the location of the voice. Kenji left the bathroom in pursuit of Tatsuha, who paused and stood still abruptly.

"To class, Kenji. Where else am I supposed to be?"

"You watch your back, Uesugi. Watch it closely."

Tatsuha laughed, the stress of the day and his conversation with Eiri crushing down on his shoulders like a heavy weight. And now this. What had he done to displease the world to will such cruelty on himself? "I'm watching, Kenji. I'm always watching, my advice is that you should do the same."

He departed the corridor deliberately slowly. He wasn't going to flee with his tail between his legs just because of _Kenji_. He'd dealt with his type before. If he was going to need a distraction from Eiri, then this opportunity was perfect. Secretly he thanked the thug, and his face grew dark with a gritty smile.

The smile was silenced as his phone stung his thigh, vibrating in his pocket. He retrieved it and stared emptily at the screen. The incoming call read _Eiri_. Tatsuha scowled and snapped his phone shut. Bloody, beautiful, irritating, deliciously hot Eiri with his goddamned sexy voice . . . Life was so unfair!


	3. Chapter 3

Tasuha's pen dribbled across the page. He blinked once, twice, and the picture swam into view. His tongue was poking outside of his mouth in concentration and if he wasn't careful, he'd probably start to drool. He lifted his hand and brushed away the saliva quickly, then sat back in his chair and lifted an eyebrow of speculation at the notebook. The face of Eiri Yuki stared back at him, drawn from memory.

"Wow," a voice whispered softly from beside him. "That looks just like you."

Tatsuha sat up quickly and inhaled a quick breath. His attention snapped away from the drawing as he focussed on the speaker. It was the girl who usually sat next to him in maths, although he couldn't remember her name. She was smiling a wide smile, one that showed off all her teeth. She pulled out a tube of lip-gloss that smelt like cherries and began applying it to her mouth. Tatsuha watched her carefully.

"What do you mean?"

The girl laughed. It was an annoying laugh, one of those that he knew would get stuck in his head afterwards and bounce around irritatingly. "Well. Just look at it! It's almost identical, a mirror image. That was what you were trying to draw, wasn't it?"

"Erm . ."

"But you should colour in the hair," she interrupted eagerly, picking up her pen. "Can I colour in the hair?"

Without waiting for a response she began to fill in the outlines with her fountain pen. The hair that was blonde turned raven black. Tatsuha scowled his annoyance. Great. Picture ruined.

"I'm Ayako Satō."

"That's nice." Her voice was low for a girl. Velvety.

"You're Tat. Tatsuha."

He shifted his eyes to look at her. Her head was bent low, her hand moving back and forth frantically as she scribbled in the black to the drawing. Her mouth was tilted into a lopsided smile as she worked. Long, dyed blonde hair hung loosely, tucked behind her ears and then slung over one shoulder. Her roots had begun to show, but there was something about her that reminded him of someone. She looked up. Honey eyes. Not quite golden but close enough all the same. Tatsuha's heart stabbed frantically in his chest.

"I saw how you stood up to those bullies earlier. Kenji and his cronies. It was a brave thing to do."

Tatsuha said nothing, thinking. The girl continued to stare him in the eye. Her face was pale but her cheeks were warm with a flush as he returned her stare so accurately. She began to giggle, nervous.

"Your eyes would look better in gold."

There was a silence as she seemed to search for the meaning in his sentence, trying to discover the tone behind his voice and if she should label it as an insult or a compliment. In the end her smile just tipped a little downwards and Tatsuha turned back to his drawing.

"Can I keep it?" Ayako spoke eagerly, her fingers already curled around the page possessively. "I have a collection of drawings at home – I like to draw too. Manga mostly. I'm not very good at it, not as good as you anyway."

Tatsuha grunted and shifted the pen to the other side of his mouth. This girl looked so much like Eiri it was scary. He felt a heat slide down his stomach and squeezed his eyes shut, banishing her from vision. He wasn't about to get horny over some girl who looked like his brother in the middle of class.

"Are you alright?" Ayako asked, dangerously close. He opened his eyes and she was over half-way across the table, an expression of concern indented on her face.

"Fine," he spoke between gritted teeth.

"You've gone kind of pale."

"That's because I'm hungry." He paused, frowned. This could work out to his favour. Perhaps this was the problem, he was only having sick fantasies over his brother because his sex life was on such a flat line. Yes, that would be it – and besides, even if there was some slightly incestuous part of his brain kicking into action, he could get over it easily with Ayako. "You want to get something to eat after school?"

She looked delighted. "What? _Me_?"

"You're the only one I'm having a conversation with right now, yes _you_!"

"I – yes." Her hand clenched around the drawing and she buried it under her exercise book, beaming. "I would love to."

--------

It wasn't wrong, Tatsuha assured himself, that he was on a date with a girl who looked exactly like his brother. Tatsuha paused in the gateway, relishing the cool night air against his skin and taking a long, steady breath. Ayako shivered by his side, dressed in her school clothes with her hair tumbling clumsily around her face.

"Is this you?" he asked, staring up at the house from which light poured out and reflected on the tarmac like liquid gold. Ayako nodded and opened the gate slowly, stepping into the garden.

"Would you like to come in?" Her hands lingered in her hair and her front teeth slid down into her lip. It was a tantalising move that made Tatsuha to grow hot again. "I could show you those drawings I told you about?"

He closed his eyes and made a quick decision. His phone was humming in his pocket again and when he looked the incoming call read Eiri. His fingers moved over the metal nervously. "Nah."

"Oh." Her disappointment was immediate, but he touched her hand to encourage her attraction and she giggled softly. He wanted to scream at her for that noise. Eiri didn't giggle! Couldn't she at least pretend to be Eiri without fucking up?

"I've gotta get this," he spoke to her harshly, turning away and already beginning to walk down the street. The moonlight bathed his skin in ivory cold. "See you at school." He took a breath and hit the accept button. Eiri's voice fell into his ear like an angel.

"Shithead!"

Except angels weren't supposed to swear. Tatsuha ran his tongue across his dry lips sighed, trying to steady his breath before forming a reply. "What kind of a greeting is that?"

"The only one you're getting."

"I hope you realised you just interrupted something very important. I could've gotten laid tonight." He said this deliberately out of spite, although it hit him _wham_ in the face when Eiri continued with nonchalance.

"Yeah? Well, too bad. What was all that about earlier?"

"Huh?"

"Today! Why'd you hang up on me? Some idea of a joke? Think it's funny to make prank phone-calls? Well guess what dumbarse, you forgot to switch off the identity of the caller. You lose."

"It's wasn't like that –"

"Do it again and I'll tell dad to cut your credit for wasting your time on porno chatlines."

"Hey, how did you know –" Tatsuha realised his mistake and stopped abruptly. Eiri snickered. "Look," his hand gripped the phone tighter, his stomach rushing with a tension that seemed to be directed in one place . . . "I'm walking back. Get off the line."

"Not until I get it through your dumb head not to make those phone-calls again."

"Eiri –"

"I'll call dad in –

"Eiri –"

"- just two seconds and –"

"Eiri! Shut up, I won't do it again. Okay?"

"Okay," said Eiri, and hung up the phone. The moment the call ended, Tatsuha pulled the mobile away from his ear and stared blankly at the screen. His gaze soon turned to a glare of spitting anger and he threw it, hard, across the street. It bounced, ricocheted, and fell down the drain.

Damn.

Stupid idea.


	4. Chapter 4

Tatsuha was paralysed. Actually, this was an initial lie, he wasn't paralysed, he'd just been standing in the same place blinking stupidly for the past two minutes. When he finally came to terms with what he'd done, he pulled his head out of oblivion and took a long, steady breath.

"DAMN IT!"

His mobile phone was lost to the sewers. _Now_ how was he supposed to keep in touch with Eiri?

"No, that can't be," he crouched and ran nimble fingers over the metal bars, straining to see through the dark. The night had brought with it a deep cold and it set in, stilling over his shoulders and rinsing through his leather jacket. No wonder the coat had been in the sale. Tatsuha gritted his teeth and tried to fit his hand through the bars. The metal grazed his flesh and he swore repeatedly.

_Stupid Eiri, if it wasn't for him then I'd be at home right now, not on the way back from a date that only occurred because the girl in question just so happened to look like him and –_ "Ow!"

Something heavy landed on the lower-half of his back. Tatsuha stopped his futile search of the drain and turned his head slowly, lifting his eyes to the dangerous glare of Kenji, flanked by his familiar clique. Tatsuha couldn't remember their names, nor did he really care. What he did care about however, was the pressure that was increasing on his back. He winced.

"Kenji. Get off, that hurts."

Instead of moving, the boy stamped his foot down, hard. Unbidden, Tatsuha released a small moan of pain, before quickly pursing his lips together. Kenji laughed as his fists clenched. He didn't want to give the boy the pleasure of taunting him.

"What you doing crawling around the drains, Uesugi? Sewer rat!" The others chortled, and hearing this, Kenji grinned, his teeth like razors, mirroring the silvery-white surface of the moon, and continued. "I heard your father was a priest. Ha! Does he know his son screws around with any girl he can get his hands on? Not very pious, not monk-like at all."

"Get off me _now_, idiot, or I'll beat your arse."

Kenji snickered and threw a glance to his two companions. The taller of the two, a grubby boy with thickset muscles and stubble peppering his chin, flexed his fist and nodded, assuring his leader he had his back. Kenji inclined his head in a small, gracious bow, then leaned forward and grabbed a fistful of Tatsuha's hair. Tatusha snarled and tried to wriggle free, but the boy's grip was firm, and his foot was still placed dangerously on his back.

"I thought I'd already explained to you at school about your manners. Let's make sure it sinks in this time, huh?"

Tatsuha only had time to close his eyes before Kenji slammed his head into the guttering. His temple hit the pavement and a cold shudder rippled like a wave through his body. When he opened his eyes again, he didn't see tarmac or metal, just a multitude of lights. Tatusha gripped his hands to fists. He sensed Kenji was still hovering over him, because the boy leant down again and dragged his face back up by the hair. A hot, sticky liquid stung Tatsuha's eyes, violent red.

Feeling sick, he took a shuddering breath, the world gradually honing back into focus. There was Kenji, his large, obnoxious face like a fanged bulldog as he grinned.

"Now, don't let us teach you this lesson again, Uesugi. It's a waste of both our time, and – aieeee!" Kenji's eyes suddenly bleared with pain. Tatsuha rolled over and quickly leapt to his feet, gently swaying. He'd managed to lift up his feet and kick Kenji hard in the shins. The boy was now straightening, a grimace on his face, and his two cronies were shadowing in.

"You little bastard, you're really gonna get it this time," he snarled as Tatsuha slowly backed away. He took a breath of the sharply cold air and without delay, ran. His footsteps pelted down the streets like the sound of rain, and although his head throbbed, he couldn't stop running. Obeying his body's need for rest meant further pain. Those fucking morons, he hadn't even managed to retrieve his phone! And all because of some stupid misunderstanding in the bathroom . .

Tatsuha turned a corner and hauled himself over one of the gates. The suburban house had a small hedge to cut it off from the pavement, and darkness consumed the pathway. He dropped to his knees and crawled across the lawn, into the garden, ducking under the shrubbery. He sat perfectly still, listening. Running feet hammered across the tarmac, past the fence until they faded. He sucked in a deep breath, sweat and blood drenching his forehead. He remained still until he heard them return. They stopped on the street corner, just beside the gate of the garden he was hiding in. Tatsuha strained not to breathe too loudly, hoping his heartbeat didn't give him away.

"We lost him," the taller of the two cronies pointed out the obvious. He appeared to be breathless.

"Yeh," replied the other. "He just disappeared. Must have turned off someplace we didn't see."

"Never mind," the voice of Kenji was unmistakable, a slight snarl to his tone. It was not one of defeat, more likely it was a challenge. "He got away. So what? He'll have to come to school sometime. And when he does, we'll just herd him into some corridor. No one talks to me the way he does and gets away with it." He sniffed audibly. "He wants to be a martyr? Fine. We'll make an example out of him."

Tatsuha remained still until they gave up and walked away, but even so his pulse felt like it was ready to burst out of his skin. _Cowards!_ He shook his head and spat. The garden grass was damp with dew and his trousers were soaking. _They can't even fight me separately_.

Bitterly, he wondered what Eiri would do. Eiri would have come up with some sort of solution to this. Eiri wouldn't have wasted his time on meeting up with some girl to talk in the first place. Nor would he have lost his phone down the drain. Tatsuha squeezed his eyes shut, cramming out the dark garden instantaneously and replacing it with an image of Eiri. His mind reeled in longing. When he found the strength to stand up, he almost fainted, a dizzy spell smashing into him with an outbreak of sweat. He tore at his shirt sleeve from beneath his jacket and dabbed at his forehead with the cloth. Making a temporary bandana from the material, he climbed back out over the gate and checked both sides of the road.

Eiri would have stood up to those boys and beat them down, shown them a lesson. Tatusha would have to learn to be more like him. Perfect Eiri . . . He sighed and clutched onto the wall, using it to support him as he slowly trudged home. Maybe it wasn't a crush . . . It could just be idolization. But privately, he recognised that this was different to anything he'd felt towards his hero Ryuichi. This was more than just a crush, it was –

_No. Don't think it._

He managed to change his channel of thought, focussing on the thumping pain in his head, and how angry his dad would be once he arrived home. And then there was school . . . there'd be hell to pay tomorrow, and what with the loss of his phone, he'd cut contact with his brother. No, tomorrow was not going to be a good day at all.

-------------

A.N: So, I would like to apologise for the lack of Eiri once again in this chapter. Someone said to make it slow and tantalising; it will be what I aim for. So if you want a fast fic that speeds through to an unrealistic romance than you got the wrong story. There's a nice chunk of angst to come before that ^________^

Thanks to every single one of you awesome readers who have reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. Obviously, reviews encourage me to update nice and snappy (heh, I think I'm speeding up a little). Feed me reviews?? XD


	5. Chapter 5

The daylight splintered into his bedroom uninvited, and Tatsuha rolled over and buried his head beneath the pillow. "Go away; I'm not ready for you yet!" This was not a situation to be remedied, but if anyone had been standing near him they would have known he was telling the truth. Tatusha's eyes were sagged with bags that reminded him of an old woman's – well, never mind. He didn't want to think about that. He'd stayed up last night once he'd gotten home, bathing and mulling over the situation he had unwillingly landed himself in. It had been one difficulty to sneak his way inside without waking his father up, but a different complexity entirely when he tried to resolve the case of Kenji.

Tatsuha sat up and groaned. His head felt like someone had split it with an axe. There was only one resolution, he told the mirror as he beheld his tired, battered reflection inside it, he'd have to bunk off school.

As soon as he discovered this, it was easier to disentangle himself from the sheets and walk across the hallway. Once he'd closed the bathroom door, he turned on the shower full-blast and a jet of steam lodged itself inside the room. He'd just have to go about his morning routine as usual, he was a good liar when he tried and it wouldn't be the first time he'd skived school. It certainly wouldn't be the last, he was fairly certain of that, but this time it wasn't something as simple as neglecting completing his homework or lack of motivation otherwise defined as laziness, there was a threat that lurked like an impregnated cloud should he fail in his mission of not making his father suspicious. There was absolutely no way he could go to school today. No way with an ink-splodged full stop.

Showered, wanked (yes that WAS over Eiri), and dried, Tatsuha shook out his damp hair and swaggered his way back into the bedroom. He took his time in getting dressed; he'd have to wait for his hair to dry in order to cover up Kenji's imprint of triumph on his forehead. He gnawed his teeth at the sight of it, no one should be allowed to do something like that and get away with it! Disgusted with himself, he dismissed the image and turned away, walking over the window to glance out at the streets paved in soggy auburn leaves and puddles. The sun was warming the sky up, simmering into a warm cobalt blue, but he knew from the way the window shook that the breeze would be chill and cruel. He'd have to head into town and find somewhere warm if he didn't want to freeze his arse off.

Towelling his hair to dampness, Tatsuha mourned the loss of his phone. Normally, he might have sent Eiri a text to see if his brother was awake. He knew his whole routine, but still wanted to check anyway. Eiri would probably be on his fourth coffee now, accompanied by two cigarettes, which he would smoke whilst sitting at the breakfast bar and staring out the window, still fresh from the shower. Then he'd stalk off, cat like, into his office and slam the door fast shut. He wouldn't come out again for another couple of hours to grab lunch or maybe take a piss . . . Tatsuha sighed and shook his head. He was taking too long! He left the bedroom and headed down the stairs remorsefully.

His father passed him a sour look as he sat down.

"You're grounded."

Tatsuha blinked as the words bounced through his head like bullets. Grounded? No, that can't be. He frowned in bewilderment.

"For the next week, there will be no leaving the house unless it is to go to school. Understood?"

This time, the response wasn't so silent. "WHAT?!"

"Don't take that tone with me, boy. You know perfectly well this is a long time overdue. I contacted the school to get your timetable of events. Apparently you've got an assignment due in for tomorrow, maths isn't it? Finding the square route of something . . ."

Tatsuha was beyond listening. He was fuming. "Great, so you're my stalker now. What is this? I return home a little late and you're _grounding_ me?"

"Staying out late at night can only lead to irresponsibility. Tell me, where were you last night?"

Tatsuha stared at his father in absolute horror. Great, and just when he'd imagined his situation couldn't get any worse. He was in love with his brother, he was dating a girl he didn't fancy, and Kenji's gang had picked a time of his distress to select him as their next target. Now his father was grounding him? _Why, god, whyyyyyyyy?_ Maybe it was a punishment for not taking his position as a monk seriously enough. His father and someone else, if there was anyone up there, had decided to take it into their hands to punish him without mercy. Tatsuha sulked miserably and sank further down into the kitchen chair.

"I went to pray at the local monastery."

His father, apparently, didn't take the lie. "Monastery? What's wrong with the one we have here?"

"Sight-seeing," he murmured somewhat pathetically. "Our God is everywhere . . ."

Mr Uesugi sighed loudly and shook his head. He turned to dump a plate on the table in front of his son. Great, freaking hot pot. Gone cold from yesterday, and for _breakfast_! Tatsuha groaned aloud, resulting in another withering glare.

"Learn to appreciate the food I give you."

"Eiri never had to eat hot-pot."

"I made the mistake of leniency with your brother. I won't do that again . ."

Tatsuha huffed and slumped into his seat.

"Where is your school tie?"

"Upstairs," he muttered, then looked up when he felt his father scrutinising him. "WHAT?! I HAVE HALF AN HOUR YET!"

Mr Uesugi opened his mouth, but whatever he had to say Tatusha didn't find out. The doorbell rang, the jarring sound interrupting and leaving him alone to eat his breakfast. Or rather, shove it into the closest plant-pot before hopping up to help himself to coffee. He strained to listen as his father answered the door, hearing the sound of disgruntled surprise.

"Tatsuha!" his father called, and the boy groaned inwardly. What _now_? Coffee still in hand, he slouched into the hallway.

"Who is this?"

He peered over his father's shoulder (rather easily, he was far taller thank GOD these days, especially as his dad seemed like a rather ill-arranged sack of potatoes), to find the face of – his heart leapt – Eiri?

"I thought we could walk to school together!"

He groaned. The girl's face fell. He'd almost forgotten all about _her_. Ayako hovered in the doorway, her face poised in a tepid smile and her eyes looking expectant. That had hindered his plan a little to get Kenji off his back. Tatsuha turned around and went back to the kitchen, sipping the steaming coffee in small snatches of annoyance.

"Take your shoes off."

"You mean I can come into your house? Thank you!" His father disappeared off upstairs without any further questions, but from his silence Tatsuha could tell the man disapproved. Monks weren't supposed to have _girl_friends. Ayako helped herself to a seat in the kitchen, looked around and sniffed. Her eyes honed in on the plant. "Is that hot pot?"

"Why are you here?"

"I thought . . . I thought we could walk to school?" She blinked at his silence. With a satisfaction, he saw from the corner of his eye how her lip trembled. "Is that okay?"

Tatsuha lowered his voice and checked the hallway was clear. "I'm not going to school."

"What? Are you ill? But you've got your school uniform on."

He rolled his eyes. Idiot! "I'm not going. Now you can shut up and get out or you can go along with it, but regardless you won't say anything."

Ayako nodded, Tatusha drained his coffee, and Mr Uesugi made a rather disgusting sound from upstairs.

"Let's go," said Tatsuha. Ayako went to the door to put her shoes on. He managed to grab his tie and schoolbooks. He came back downstairs. Ayako was still putting on her shoes. "How long does it take?!"

"I'm sorry."

"We're going to miss the bus at this rate."

"But you said –"

"Sssh!" He directed frantically to the stairs. This girl might look like Eiri but she didn't share his brain cells. Tatsuha ushered her out the door and waited until they had walked into the next street before saying anything.

"I sent you a text last night; I wanted to see that you got home safe."

Ngh, his poor, beloved phone, its body lying in a sewer somewhere surrounded by unlove and scattered with unread texts and missed-calls. Tatsuha sighed heartily. "I lost my phone."

"How?"

"It fell . . . down a drain somewhere."

"Oh." She didn't look like she believed him. "So why aren't you going to school? There isn't any homework due in."

"I'm just not, that's all." He pulled out a cigarette and pushed it into the corner of his mouth.

Ayako looked at him earnestly. There was something cold like a dead fire inside her eyes. When she looked at him like that, it made his heart burn. If only it was Eiri, if only . . "Are you ashamed of me?"

Tatsuha stopped and looked at her. Was the girl honestly that pathetic she thought he'd skip school for something as trivial as _her_? How naive. He lit up his cigarette and inhaled. "What? No." To appease her, he slipped one arm around her and pulled her close. She seemed to like that, from the way she snuggled her cheek into his shoulder. It felt nice, the warmth of her against the autumn cold. Tatsuha kissed her forehead and set off again at a brief walk. "I'll walk you to the bus-stop."

She nodded, and they were silent from there.

The bus stop was haunted by students. Tatsuha eyed them all with exhaustion. Two girls giggled together as they peered at a mobile screen, a group of boys were hurling their noise about the avenue, and a mixture of geeks and sporadic loners stood about here and there. Ayako waved to a group and made a show of kissing Tatsuha firmly on the mouth, skipping off to join a giggling group who had all dyed their hair the same shade of brown.

He spun around as he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and started into the eyes of . . .

"Kenji."

"Not thinking of skiving school, were you Uesegi?" The boy smiled at him, a frosty smile that slit across his face as if carved by an ice-pick. His hand went to grip softly at the nape of Tatsuha's neck. To anyone else, it might have looked friendly. For Tatsuha, it just made him feel sick. "This way, I'll let you sit next to me on the bus." the boy grinned and leant close to his ear. "We've got special plans for you today."

A.N – okay, so that sucked, such sloppy writing o_O I re-wrote this chapter about five times and still didn't get it right grrr so in the end combined it all. I was at the end of my muse . . but I still have plans. For those of you holding out for Eiri, sorry it's coming its coming, just gotta step down the road a little bit more first to get a glimpse of our juicy Eiri behind the corner.

Oooh and also, if anyone has any requests as to what they want to happen, tell me xD I've got a plan but that doesn't mean I can't fit your needs into it.

Please review lovelies. I'll try and update soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Double update! Look at that. This chapter's getting more into the swing of things, yay!

----

All day at school, Tatsuha had to hang out with Kenji. Honest to god, he didn't want to. He looked too good for these jerks; their bad looks seriously cramped his style. But Kenji's gormless cronies kept their eyes on him everywhere he went. When he left class, they flanked his either side to assure of no escape. Kenji would smile at him with two glittering, knife-sharp eyes.

"What do you want?" Tatsuha demanded when he could stand it no longer. Their presence was making him nervous. Worse, Kenji hadn't even hit him yet, even after his escape last night. This couldn't be good news . . . they said they'd had plans for him, but what? And why?

"First, understand this," Kenji looked him over. "I get what I want, when I want it. And right now I want money. Do you know who's going to get it for me?"

Tatsuha rolled his eyes. "Me?"

"On first guess. Good work."

Tatusha shifted, eyes narrowing. He didn't like this idea at all. "How?"

"That's not my business. I just need it. And you're going to get it."

"This is unbelievable! I can't just –"

Kenji grabbed hold of his collar and shoved him into the nearest cloakroom. "Now listen here," he snarled, mouth pressed up against his ear, he smelt like garlic. "I don't like you, and after that prank you pulled last night, you're walking thin ice. I need money, and you don't need an explanation. Just do what I say and we'll leave you alone. Otherwise, well things might just get a bit nasty." He stroked a bold, heavy finger down Tatsuha's face and slid his other hand under his shirt, tracing the boy's taut waist. "You get me?"

Tatsuha swallowed, nodding up and down in quick succession. "Alright. Fine. Just tell me how much."

He left school that evening with a sick feeling in his stomach. He didn't know how to get the

ridiculous amount Kenji was demanding, but he knew he'd better start trying. He may not have spoken it, but Kenji's threat lingered as a constant afterthought in Tatsuha mind. Worse, he knew the boy was capable, and that he'd get away with it.

---

"B-but Tat-kun, I'm not in the mood . ." Ayako pushed him away with the palm of her hand. It was sweaty. Damn it, Eiri would never sweat, what did she think she was doing?

"Tough. Shut up and lie down."

Her brow furrowed as his mouth closed in on hers again and she allowed him to kiss her, until his hand went fumbling up her shirt, closing in on one breast and -

"Nngh."

"Tat-kun!" She pushed him away fiercely. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

He scowled. Trust Ayako to ruin it all. He'd been thinking about Eiri. _Eiri, Eiri, Eiri_, he hadn't heard that voice all weekend. Retrieving the phone from the drain didn't seem very likely now, even if he went back there every night, and he didn't have enough money for a new one.

"Can I borrow this?"

"Wha-what?" Ayako blinked and turned in the direction of his hand. It was now holding the phone from her skirt pocket. "How will I be able to contact anyone?"

Tatsuha grinned and stuffed the small pink mobile into his pocket. "You won't. I'm the jealous boyfriend, remember?"

Ayako's mouth shifted into a grin and she propped herself up on her elbows. "I'm your girlfriend?"

"Sure."

He didn't do dating. Full stop. But Ayako was different. She looked like Eiri. He'd given up on pretending that he wasn't lusting after his brother now, he had constant cravings to hear that velvety voice. Hmmm . . . It was a phase, he'd get over it.

"Who do you need to call?"

"I'm don't," he lied. "I'm confiscating it."

"For sure?"

He gave her a silent nod. How many times did he have to say it?

"But," suddenly she was nervous. "My parents won't be able to contact me."

"And they won't need to whilst you're at school. Just tell them it's switched off during class. Come on Ayako . . . don't you want to play my game?"

His voice lilting on the edge of teasing, she noticed the dangerous look in his eyes. Without asking she knew Tatsuha wouldn't hang around if she started getting boring. Slowly, she nodded.

"Good. My brother's ex-whatever was called Ayaka. That's minus one letter the same as yours. Kind of incestuous."

He began to kiss her again, his mouth fitting snugly like a lost puzzle piece against hers. The taste of his tongue was warm and filled her with a longing, but even as his hand strayed to her skirt and pushed her leg up around his hips, she hesitated.

"Can't we take this . . . slowly?"

"Why?"

She giggled and writhed as his teeth nibbled gently along her neck. "Because," she breathed through gasps, "my parents are downstairs. Tat, you know that."

It was true, how could he have forgotten. They'd invited him around for dinner on their daughter's request. It was beginning to get too close for comfort. He didn't do parents. His hand went for her skirt again and he murmured into her soft throat, "Hmm, which gives it that little edge."

"We'll have to be quiet, if my father walks in –"

But Tatsuha was already consumed in his lust. Even after, when they had reached their climax, he found himself having difficulty breathing. It was the best sex he'd had, and not because of Ayako. It was because he'd been thinking about Eiri.

---

When he got home, Tatsuha stabbed Eiri's number into the pink mobile phone. So what, it wasn't the height of fashion, but he knew enough by now to acknowledge that he, Tatsuha Uesegi, managed to make _anything_ look good.

It had been raining outside, and the sound of it now mumbled against the window. Tatsuha pressed the phone to his ear and listened to it ring. Once, twice, god where the hell was Eiri? He usually picked up on the second ring.

With no answer, Tatsuha impatiently tried again. After repeating this process twelve times, letting the phone ring onto answer phone, Eiri finally picked up. He felt a surge of excitement in his stomach and reached down to his trousers only to hear –

"Hello?"

"What the hell? Who the hell is that?"

The voice sounded breathless, girlish, but distinctively male. Silence, a giggle.

"Tohma? That you?" Stupid Tohma, trust him to be camping round Eiri's at this time, probably getting a good look at his fine brother. It didn't go amiss with Tatsuha that Tohma was competition for Eiri. Even though the man had married their sister, that didn't stop him from being a threat.

Another giggle.

Tatsuha's hand gripped the phone tighter. He was beginning to get angry. "DAMN IT STOP LAUGHING!"

"Yuki, gerroff."

Tatsuha froze.

"Who are you?" he demanded into the phone.

"Yuki says he can't talk now," replied the voice, soft and pretty. "He's – ack, Yuki! – he's a bit t-tied _uppppp_. Uhm."

Tatsuha's teeth gritted, his heart flipping over with a sudden spur of hurt. He didn't know why he was getting so worked up, it was common knowledge his brother liked his fair share of one night stands. But those were girls, and this voice definitely sounded like a male.

"Tell Eiri I need to speak to him. Right _now_."

A sigh and then another giggle, and Eiri was on the phone. "What?" he snapped in a voice that made Tatsuha flinch.

"Eiri?"

"Tatsuha? Baka, I can't talk right now."

"But haven't you been wondering why I haven't called?"

"No. Did you want something?"

"I – ur. No." His tone moved from shock to dead cold. "No, forget it. You have fun with your bitch."

Cutting the call, he threw the phone with deliberate force across the bedroom. The stupid pink thing didn't even break at the impact. Annoyed, Tatsuha thumped one hand into the pillow, but it didn't hit hard enough and offered no release to his anger, so he aimed for the wall. His fist came away broken and bleeding and he released an unintentional yelp.

"Tatsuha! I thought I told you to get to bed," his father's voice wafted up the stairs.

Tatsuha sniffled and pulled open a draw. Stupid Eiri, with his stupid, slutty ways. No problem that this silent accusation was complete hypocrisy, what did Tatsuha care? Pulling out an old school shirt, he ripped it length ways and wrapped it around his injured wrist. He returned to the bed and rested his head against the board. Eiri always had time to speak to him, what made this one person so different?

He pondered over it bitterly, before deciding there was only one thing he had left to do.

He'd go and see for himself.

---

"Wake up."

Tatsuha blinked and frowned, pushing the phone groggily to his ear. "Wha . . .?"

"I said wake up!" The voice on the end of the phone, despite its insistent scream, was most certainly Eiri's. Tatsuha swallowed hard and brushed the sleep wearily from his eyes.

"What time is it?"

An impatient huff at the end of the phone. "Two thirty."

"P.M?!" Tatsuha sat up in alarm.

"Baka! _A.M_."

"Oh." What was Eiri doing calling at this time? Fighting back another yawn, Tatsuha pulled his knees to his chin beneath the duvet and switched on the light, allowing the yellow bulb to blister colour through the darkness.

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

Tatsuha blinked. "Er . . . because it's two thirty a.m! What are you doing? I've got school tomorrow."

"Not now you haven't. Wouldn't you rather talk to me than the virtual one in your sleep?"

"Huh?" He was definitely awake now. Reaching behind for his pillow he plumped it up to barricade the headboard from biting into his back. "Eiri, what are are you talking about?"

A soft chuckle. "Your voice sounds husky when you talk. That the one you use for the girls?"

"I just woke up." He cleared his throat.

"You have a girl?"

"What? In the house?" Tatsuha was alarmed. What sort of question was that? He was supposed to be a _monk_. Dad would never allow a female even half way up the stairs let alone his bed. He informed Eiri of this. "Don't be thick."

"No, not that baka," Eiri chuckled his reply. A shot of fire travelled up Tatusha's spine at the sound of that laugh. "I meant a girlfriend."

"Since when were you interested in my love life?"

"Just answer the fucking question."

"Maybe."

"What kinda answer is that?" a pause on the end of the line. Tatsuha used the time to push back the duvet and wander over to the window. The floor was cold against his bare feet and when he pushed back the curtains, the glass was condensated. Suddenly he felt like he was missing out on something by sleeping, but that didn't stop the dull longing to just hang up the phone and sneak back to bed. He didn't though. How could he? This was Eiri on the phone. "Do you or don't you?"

"I do. Sort of."

"Ah," Eiri seemed thoughtful. "So that's why you've been so off."

Tatsuha rolled his eyes and clenched the phone tighter inside his hand. "You don't know the half of it," he muttered down the line.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"So what's this number?" A pause. "It's a new number."

Tatsuha shrugged, even though he knew Eiri couldn't see him. "I borrowed it off a friend."

"What happened to your old one?"

"I . . . lost it. Eiri. About earlier . . ."

"Hang on." The other end went silent. Tatsuha scrambled back onto the bed and huddled his knees up to his chin. He chewed his mouth frantically as he watched the clock. Seconds leaked by, more precious time in which he wasn't talking to Eiri. Where was he?

"You still there?"

A grunt from the other end of the phone. "The brat wanted something."

Tatsuha's stomach coiled. "The what?"

"The brat. You spoke to him earlier."

"Oh," his jaw suddenly felt heavy and frozen as he spoke. "Him."

"Dad called. He said you were grounded. How'd you manage that?"

Tatsuha ignored him. He wanted to know about this "brat." "So. The brat, he was the one I spoke to earlier?"

"I said that."

"But . . . why? I thought you were into girls."

A soft, rich chuckle. It was like honey in Tatsuha's ears. He felt his trousers grow tight and reached down to ease himself, disgusted that his brother's voice had this effect on him.

"Eiri . . . who is he?"

A silence answered him. Tatusha sighed, shifting the phone to his other ear. He knew Eiri didn't like to talk about his personal life but . . . this was important! If Tatsuha had competition he needed to know, to eliminate the other contestant, and fast.

"Is he your boyfriend? He won't be sticking around, right?"

"Why the sudden concern?"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!"

"Yes. He's sticking around. I don't remember inviting him, but he seems to have moved in."

"WHAT?"

"I've got to go. Do what dad says, you might be able to visit."

"EIRI! WAIT! I WANT TO KNOW – DON'T HANG UP ON ME, I –"

The phone went dead, and there was a loud thump from the next room. Tatsuha switched off the lamp and stuffed the phone beneath his pillow. He flung himself down and pretended to be asleep. When his father opened the door, he was met only by the soft sounds of his son's peaceful breathing.

The facade was clever enough, but Tatsuha was fuming. Eiri had a boyfriend? His hand curled into a fist and he gritted his teeth into a snarl.

All he could think about was Eiri, Eiri, Eiri, Eiri . . . Eiri fucking some other guy and not him.

A pathetic, lonely tear crept down his cheek.

"DAMN IT!"

When the door was flung open again, Mr Uesugi found an empty bed and an open window, and Tatsuha, garbed in his pyjamas, was running down the street with one thing on his mind.

He must stop this catastrophe! There was only one person for Eiri and if it wasn't him, then it couldn't be anyone.


End file.
